Letters To The Editor

Editor's note: The author of this letter is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, a former clerk for a federal judge and a former tax lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York City. Last fall, he was involved in legal proceedings in which he and his lawyer challenged the fees and conduct of a GAL involved in his divorce case.

To the Editor: Although the commitment of the Connecticut Bar Association to maintain and expand diversity in fact and in spirit has been a pledge of all recent presidents, we acknowledge that the CBA could and should be even more diverse and that the creation of full diversity within the association is a work in progress.

Editor's Note: The following letter is in response to an opinion piece by Law Tribune columnist and appellate attorney Dan Krisch, who authored a recent column defending the transfer of "Jane Doe," a transgender teen, from the custody of the state Department of Children and Families to an adult prison.

Dear Editor, As a solo attorney in Connecticut and the incoming chair of the American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division (GPSolo), I wanted to let Connecticut lawyers know that the ABA provides an incredible value for the Main Street lawyer.

To the Editor: Chris Powell writes that the tracking and reporting of traffic stops and police Taser deployment, as advocated by the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, constitute a distraction from more pressing problems, such as racially discriminatory drug-free zones. ("Traffic Stops, Stun Guns Aren't The Race Problem," Connecticut Law Tribune, June 23.)

Recently, the Connecticut Bar Association's House of Delegates (HOD) met and approved (by a 34-14 vote) a motion made by the chair of the CBA's Human Rights and Responsibilities Section to support and sign onto an amicus brief supporting the constitutionality of "An Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and Children's Safety" that was enacted by the Connecticut Legislature last year.

I write to give voice to the discontent and frustration that I know many of us share. I write to express my dissent over the recent decision of the Connecticut Bar Association's House of Delegates authorizing the CBA to join an amicus brief in the Shew v. Malloy appeal over the clear opposition of a large percentage of the CBA's membership

The Connecticut Freedom of Information Act was intended to "open the public files" for the citizenry to gain access to information and records that were far more difficult to obtain prior to the law's enactment, and to see their government in action.

As a former member of the Law Tribune's Editorial Board, I was especially interested in Karen Lee Torre's January 14 column. No, not her criticism of a recent editorial that supposedly attacked the Catholic Church. My attention was instead drawn to her concern about those members of the Board who "exploit" their position in order "to throw darts from behind a veil."

As Chairman of Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparity in the Criminal Justice System, I take serious issue with the recent article in the Law Tribune ("Appellate Bar Split Over Hispanic Court Nominee," Jan. 14, 2013).

Editor's note: This letter's author, Stratford attorney Kenneth Beck, had placed an ad on Craigslist inviting young lawyers to observe him at work — for a fee. The proposal, since withdrawn, sparked debate in legal circles, as the Law Tribune reported in the Jan. 21 issue. The email to which Beck refers is reprinted below his letter.

To The Editor: Chief Justice William Sullivan's accomplishments during his tenure far outweigh the error of holding up the publication of <em>Clerk of the Superior Court v. Freedom of Information Commission</em>.

I am writing this letter in support of the nomination of Justice Peter T. Zarella of the Connecticut Supreme Court to the position of chief justice. There is no good reason to delay his confirmation or to allow partisan politics to overtake the process.

To The Editor: While Kroll, McNamara did assert a claim against the Aldermans for unpaid legal fees, that claim was <em>not</em> in the nature of a "malpractice case against A&A" as Mr. Scheffey writes.</p>

To The Editor: Upon reading attorney Susan Cartier-Liebel's June 26 article ("Real Estate Certification A Death Knell To Solos"), we were struck by her comment that "Representing a client in a residential real estate closing is not brain surgery.

To The Editor: For the past few months, I've been reading what's been said in the papers about Justice William "Tocco" Sullivan. It's made me both sad and angry, because what's being said is so terribly unfair to someone who's truly a great man. People who don't know him are getting a completely false impression of who he is.

In emThe Law Tribune/em front-page report entitled "Probate Chief Seeks More Muscle" (May 7, 2007), I was surprised to read that Probate Court Administrator James Lawlor could only give two reasons for his quest for more power.

bTo The Editor:/b In its attempt to convince us that certification for residential real property practitioners should be stopped, the Aug. 13th Advice of Counsel column ("Certification Bid Must End") perpetuates a number of old misunderstandings about the program and creates a few new ones.

Columnist Robert Byron's piece on what he called a fearful small-minded Middletown (CLT, July 9, 2007, page 22) was I think unfortunate, insensitive, and symptomatic of that arrogant disease called my cause is so just that any means employed to advance it is okay.

bTo the editor:/b I read with great interest Norm Pattis's Sept. 24 column ("Parents At The Mercy Of For-Profit Overlords") regarding what he described as the "largely lawless" family court and how that court is, according to Mr. Pattis, either unable or unwilling to do much about it. Although Mr. Pattis is clearly an extremely bright and articulate attorney, and his columns are sometimes thought-provoking and interesting, he has clearly, in my opinion, missed the point in this instance.

bTo The Editor:/bRegarding [the Associated Press] article on the decision by Yale Law School to now permit military recruiters access to its students ("Yale Opens Campus To Military," Sept. 24, page 13) and Karen Lee Torre's commentary ("Yale Elite Meet Military Defeat," page 27), I would add this paraphrase of an observation by Gen. William Butler, often, but apparently not accurately, attributed to Thucydides: "The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools."

As a plaintiff suing a trustee attorney appointed under Section 2-64 of the Connecticut Practice Book, I read Douglas Malan's article "All Work And No Pay" in the Law Tribune's July 30, 2007, issue with great interest.

iTo The Editor:/i I am writing in response to the comments of the Advisory Board (Nov. 19) regarding the Supreme Court decision in Pansy Road LLC v. Town Plan Zoning Commission of the Town of Fairfield. As trial and appellate counsel for the plaintiff, I offer a different perspective with regard to the decision of the court.

emTo The Editor:/em In emPansy Road v. Fairfield/em, our Supreme Court held that a local planning commission may not take into account the effects of off site traffic when deciding a subdivision application. em Pansy Road/em may be the law, but it is bad land use planning.

iTo The Editor:/iRecently, my partner decided to create a web site. He listed me as a trial lawyer, but received criticism from the bar, because according to the recently established audit committee, although it is an accurate statement that my practice is devoted 100 percent to litigation, to state this fact suggests an expertise in the area that I am not permitted to claim since I am not board certified.

First, on behalf of our client, the Honorable John R. Downey, we comment the members of the iLaw Tribune /iAdvisory Board for reconsidering their prior editorial and now recommending the reappointment of Judge Downey.

iTo the Editor:/iBased on what I read in the January 14 issue of the iLaw Tribune/i, a Connecticut lawyer for convicted terrorist Jose Padilla is suing another attorney for writing a legal interpretation with which he disagrees.

To say I was surprised when I read the Advisory Board editorial in the May 19th edition of the iLaw Tribune/i entitled "An Honorable Ombudsman" is an understatement of major proportions. I thank you for praising my work and especially for mentioning my executive assistant, Maryann Boord, without whom the state Office of Ombudsman for Property Rights would not function nearly so well.

In an April 14 commentary from your advisory board entitled "Better Communication From CBA," you state that proposed rules for mandatory continuing legal education "are not being widely circulated outside the sponsoring section for comments before implementation is sought," and that the "CBA [has proposed] new rules which affect many lawyers without the membership being aware and having an opportunity to comment." This is simply not the case.

I have read your April 14, 2008 article concerning Family Magistrate Christopher Oliveira and wish to write in his defense.I do not know what happened in 2004 concerning his job as a family relations counselor trainee at the Middletown courthouse. Prior to this time, however, he had served between three and four years in the Middlesex Judicial District's Civil and Family Clerk's Office as the temporary assistant clerk handling the family magistrate docket.

After years of DNA evidence which has led to the exoneration of persons wrongly convicted and imprisoned, it is time to reevaluate the death penalty. There is little doubt that hundreds of innocent people have been executed and will continue to be executed as DNA is not always available.

I recently read the letter from Robert Brothers, acting executive director of the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, in which he responds to a column by Karen Torre (Law Tribune, Sept. 8.). I do not know Mr. Brothers and he apparently does not know attorney Torre. How else could he respond to a column by her that is critical of his agency by suggesting that she is a bigot?

As the acting executive director of an agency under attack in these pages, I would like to offer a few comments on the column, "Time To Confront A Useless CHRO," which appeared in the Sept. 8 issue of the Connecticut Law Tribune.

The Aug. 4 iConnecticut Law Tribune/i included a guest commentary from Chris Powell entitled, "Social Justice Doesn't Flow From The Courts." Although several weeks have passed, I have not seen any responses to the article, which I thought would be quick and furious.

iLaw Tribune/i columnist Norm Pattis is a magnificent lawyer and a clever writer; he is a "true believer." Perhaps, however, Norm has too often represented police officers accused of wrongdoing, like those who unfairly spin statements made by an accused.

Replete with inaccuracies designed to make a point, columnist Karen Lee Torre's article ("No To ABA, Yes To CBA," Aug. 10) presents anything but a balanced view. Yes, the ABA takes positions that its members bring forward. Any member may propose a position to be taken - whether liberal or conservative - and any member may advocate his or her views to convince the 555-member House of Delegates to adopt that view as policy.

Editor's Note: On July 7, Hartford attorney Nancy Tyler was allegedly kidnapped by her estranged husband, advertising executive, Richard J. Shenkman, from a parking lot near the Hartford law firm where she works. He reportedly took her to their South Windsor home which, after a long standoff with police, he allegedly burned down. Shenkman is currently being held without bail.

As one who has served as a public fiduciary for more than 20 years, I was shocked and deeply disturbed to read your article entitled "Top Lawyers File Suit Against Governor." While the headline was accurate, the article implies that I support the proposed raiding of the Client Security Fund, when I do not.

bEditor's Note:/b The following letter was in response to the recent suicide of James F. Ripper, an attorney for 37 years who operated a small Rocky Hill firm called Real Estate Resources LLC. In the Nov. 30 issue, the Law Tribune reported that the firm was apparently in financial distress because of the downturn in the real estate market.

As the New Year begins, legal aid programs dedicated to the assistance of low-income state residents are faced with multiple challenges. First, the clients we serve are particularly challenged in this terrible economy. Jobs are scarce, especially for those with limited skills or education. As a result, the number of people relying on food stamps in Connecticut has almost doubled since 2007. People with disabilities, who cannot find work in a booming economy, need help even more when times are rough. And people facing discrimination or physical abuse have fewer options.

Having read Chief Justice Chase Rogers' Jan. 2, 2012 piece entitled "Taking Steps to Re-Engineer Court System," I would like to make three suggestions. However, before I do, I feel compelled to state the obvious: as a budgetary constraints increase, waste of time and/or money must decrease

Your publication has done a great public service in running Karen Lee Torre's recent column on our legislature's creation of an extra-constitutional commission to propose judicial salary increases that go into effect if the legislature fails to act on the commission's recommendations. This is not widely known to members of the legal profession or the public at large and deserves wide distribution and vigorous public debate.

There is little dispute that attorney Norm Pattis is an intelligent, skilled and talented criminal defense lawyer. But some of his recent "columns" in the Law Tribune should more appropriately be categorized as "chronicles" rather than "columns" of interest to the newspaper's audience.